Display device

ABSTRACT

A display device includes: a display panel having an upper surface to display an image and a lower surface; a first support and a second support disposed on the lower surface of the display panel; a first hinge connecting a side of the first support and a side of the second support and defining a first axis; a cover disposed on another side of the second support; and a second hinge connecting another side of the second support and a side of the cover and defining a second axis substantially parallel to the first axis, wherein the cover comprises a transparent material and a recess disposed on the side connected to the second hinge member.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from and the benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2020-0046558, filed on Apr. 17, 2020, which is herebyincorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND Field

Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate generally to a displaydevice and, more particularly, to a display device that can protect adisplay module from external impact.

Discussion of the Background

A display device is a device that displays an image and includes adisplay panel such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organic lightemitting display panel including organic light emitting diodes (OLED) orquantum dot electroluminescence (QD-EL) devices.

A mobile electronic device includes a display device to provide an imageto a user. There is a growing proportion of mobile electronic deviceshaving the same or smaller volume or thickness but a larger displayscreen than conventional ones. In addition, a foldable or bendabledisplay device that can be folded and unfolded to provide a largerscreen only when used is being developed.

The above information disclosed in this Background section is only forunderstanding of the background of the inventive concepts, and,therefore, it may contain information that does not constitute priorart.

SUMMARY

The thickness of a cover window on a foldable display panel should beminimized to ensure reliable folding. Applicant realized that a thincover window can be easily damaged by a user's continuous touch such astyping or by external impact.

Foldable display devices constructed according to the principles andexemplary implementations of the invention are thin enough to bereliably folded and unfolded while at the same time protect the displaymodule from external impact. For example, the foldable display devicesprovide for sufficient thinness to facilitate folding but also protectthe display module from external impact

Additional features of the inventive concepts will be set forth in thedescription which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the inventive concepts.

According to one aspect of the invention, a display device includes: adisplay panel having an upper surface to display an image and a lowersurface; a first support and a second support disposed on the lowersurface of the display panel; a first hinge connecting a side of thefirst support and a side of the second support and defining a firstaxis; a cover disposed on another side of the second support; and asecond hinge connecting another side of the second support and a side ofthe cover and defining a second axis substantially parallel to the firstaxis, wherein the cover comprises a transparent material and a recessdisposed on the side connected to the second hinge member.

The first and second hinges may include first and second hinge members,respectively, and the second hinge member may include a shaft receivedin the second support member to define the second axis and a pair ofrotatable couplers supported at either end of the shaft.

At least one of the pair of rotatable couplers may include couplingmembers or a joint and an extension formed integrally with a side of thebody part.

The second support member may include a pair of first recessed partsdisposed at both corners adjacent to the cover member, a second recessedpart additionally recessed from a surface of each first recessed part,and a step part formed by each first recessed part and the secondrecessed part.

The extension may include an extension part configured to rotate aroundthe second axis to be received in the second recessed part.

The second support member may include a projection extending between thepair of first recessed parts, the projection being accommodated in therecess of the cover member.

The cover may include a pair of attachment parts disposed with therecess interposed therebetween.

The cover may include a pair of connectors disposed at the pair ofattachment parts, respectively.

The at least one of the connectors may include one or more adhesivemembers or a magnet.

The cover may include a cover member including a first substrate, afirst buffer layer disposed on a surface of the first substrate, and asecond buffer layer disposed on another surface of the first substrate.

The first buffer layer and the second buffer layer may include apolyurethane-based material.

The display panel may include a first non-folding area disposed on thefirst support, a second non-folding area disposed on the second supportand a folding area disposed on the first hinge, and the cover may berotatable around the second axis to overlap the second non-folding areain a thickness direction.

According to another aspect of the invention, a display device includes:a display panel having an upper surface to display an image and a lowersurface; a first support and a second support disposed on the lowersurface of the display panel; a first hinge connecting a side of thefirst support and a side of the second support and defining a firstaxis; and a cover having a generally U-shaped cross section defining anopening to receive an end of the second support and an end of thedisplay panel detachably insertable into the opening; wherein the covercomprises a first substantially flat part disposed on the upper surfaceof the display panel, a second substantially flat part disposed on alower surface of the second support, and an intermediate portionconnecting the first substantially flat part and the secondsubstantially flat part.

The first substantially flat part may include a pair of keyholes.

The cover may include a cover member including a transparent displaypanel, and the second substantially flat part may include an electrodepad part electrically connected to the transparent display panel.

The distance between the first substantially flat part and the secondsubstantially flat part in a thickness direction may be greater than athickness of the second support.

A first buffer may be disposed on a surface of the first substantiallyflat part facing the upper surface of the display panel; and a secondbuffer may be disposed on a surface of the second substantially flatpart facing the lower surface of the second support.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a display deviceincludes: a display panel having an upper surface to display an imageand a lower surface; a first support and a second support disposed onthe lower surface of the display panel; a first hinge connecting thefirst support and the second support and defining a first axis; a coverdisposed on a side of the first support; and a second hinge connectingthe first support and the cover and defining a second axis intersectingthe first axis.

The cover may be detachably coupled to the first support.

The cover may include a cover member including a transparent displaylayer.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of theinvention, and together with the description serve to explain theinventive concepts.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a displaydevice constructed according to the principles of the invention in anunfolded position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the display device of FIG. 1 in a firstfolded position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the display device of FIG. 1 in a secondfolded position.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a displaymodule taken along line A-A′ of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a displaypanel of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of asecond hinge member of the display device of FIG. 1

FIGS. 7 and 8 are side views of an exemplary embodiment of part ‘B’ ofFIG. 6 .

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a covermember of the display device of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of another exemplary embodiment of acover member of a display device constructed according to the principlesof the invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of adisplay device constructed according to the principles of the invention.in an unfolded position

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the display device of FIG. 11 in afirst folded position.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the display device of FIG. 11 in asecond folded position.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the display device of FIG. 13 .

FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of an exemplary embodiment ofpart ‘C’ of FIG. 12 .

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a displaydevice constructed according to the principles of the invention. in anunfolded position.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the display device of FIG. 16 in afirst folded position.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the display device of FIG. 16 in asecond folded position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of various exemplary embodiments or implementations of theinvention. As used herein “embodiments” and “implementations” areinterchangeable words that are non-limiting examples of devices ormethods employing one or more of the inventive concepts disclosedherein. It is apparent, however, that various exemplary embodiments maybe practiced without these specific details or with one or moreequivalent arrangements. In other instances, well-known structures anddevices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring various exemplary embodiments. Further, various exemplaryembodiments may be different, but do not have to be exclusive. Forexample, specific shapes, configurations, and characteristics of anexemplary embodiment may be used or implemented in another exemplaryembodiment without departing from the inventive concepts.

Unless otherwise specified, the illustrated exemplary embodiments are tobe understood as providing exemplary features of varying detail of someways in which the inventive concepts may be implemented in practice.Therefore, unless otherwise specified, the features, components,modules, layers, films, panels, regions, and/or aspects, etc.(hereinafter individually or collectively referred to as “elements”), ofthe various embodiments may be otherwise combined, separated,interchanged, and/or rearranged without departing from the inventiveconcepts.

The use of cross-hatching and/or shading in the accompanying drawings isgenerally provided to clarify boundaries between adjacent elements. Assuch, neither the presence nor the absence of cross-hatching or shadingconveys or indicates any preference or requirement for particularmaterials, material properties, dimensions, proportions, commonalitiesbetween illustrated elements, and/or any other characteristic,attribute, property, etc., of the elements, unless specified. Further,in the accompanying drawings, the size and relative sizes of elementsmay be exaggerated for clarity and/or descriptive purposes. When anexemplary embodiment may be implemented differently, a specific processorder may be performed differently from the described order. Forexample, two consecutively described processes may be performedsubstantially at the same time or performed in an order opposite to thedescribed order. Also, like reference numerals denote like elements.

When an element, such as a layer, is referred to as being “on,”“connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may bedirectly on, connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer orintervening elements or layers may be present. When, however, an elementor layer is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,”or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are nointervening elements or layers present. To this end, the term“connected” may refer to physical, electrical, and/or fluid connection,with or without intervening elements. Further, the D1-axis, the D2-axis,and the D3-axis are not limited to three axes of a rectangularcoordinate system, such as the x, y, and z-axes, and may be interpretedin a broader sense. For example, the D1-axis, the D2-axis, and theD3-axis may be perpendicular to one another, or may represent differentdirections that are not perpendicular to one another. For the purposesof this disclosure, “at least one of X, Y, and Z” and “at least oneselected from the group consisting of X, Y, and Z” may be construed as Xonly, Y only, Z only, or any combination of two or more of X, Y, and Z,such as, for instance, XYZ, XYY, YZ, and ZZ. As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

Although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein todescribe various types of elements, these elements should not be limitedby these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element fromanother element. Thus, a first element discussed below could be termed asecond element without departing from the teachings of the disclosure.

Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “under,” “lower,”“above,” “upper,” “over,” “higher,” “side” (e.g., as in “sidewall”), andthe like, may be used herein for descriptive purposes, and, thereby, todescribe one elements relationship to another element(s) as illustratedin the drawings. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompassdifferent orientations of an apparatus in use, operation, and/ormanufacture in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. Forexample, if the apparatus in the drawings is turned over, elementsdescribed as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would thenbe oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplaryterm “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below.Furthermore, the apparatus may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90degrees or at other orientations), and, as such, the spatially relativedescriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms, “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Moreover,the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including,”when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/orgroups thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one ormore other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components,and/or groups thereof. It is also noted that, as used herein, the terms“substantially,” “about,” and other similar terms, are used as terms ofapproximation and not as terms of degree, and, as such, are utilized toaccount for inherent deviations in measured, calculated, and/or providedvalues that would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Various exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference tosectional and/or exploded illustrations that are schematic illustrationsof idealized exemplary embodiments and/or intermediate structures. Assuch, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, forexample, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to beexpected. Thus, exemplary embodiments disclosed herein should notnecessarily be construed as limited to the particular illustrated shapesof regions, but are to include deviations in shapes that result from,for instance, manufacturing. In this manner, regions illustrated in thedrawings may be schematic in nature and the shapes of these regions maynot reflect actual shapes of regions of a device and, as such, are notnecessarily intended to be limiting.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure is a part. Terms,such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should beinterpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning inthe context of the relevant art and should not be interpreted in anidealized or overly formal sense, unless expressly so defined herein.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a displaydevice constructed according to the principles of the invention in anunfolded position. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the display device ofFIG. 1 in a first folded position. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of thedisplay device of FIG. 1 in a second folded position.

Display device 1 according to some exemplary embodiments may includevarious devices that display a screen or an image. For example, examplesof the display device 1 may include, but are not limited to,smartphones, mobile phones, tablet personal computers (PCs), personaldigital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs),televisions, game machines, wristwatch-type electronic devices, headmounted displays, monitors of PCs, notebook computers, car navigationsystems, car dashboards, digital cameras, camcorders, externalbillboards, electronic boards, various medical devices, variousexamination devices, various home appliances including a display partDPA, such as refrigerators and washing machines, and

Internet of things (IoT) devices or the like.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3 , the display device 1 may have agenerally rectangular shape that is longer in the first direction X inplan view. In some exemplary embodiments, the display device 1 may haveboth long sides in the first direction X and both short sides in thesecond direction Y intersecting the first direction X in plan view.However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto, and thedisplay device 1 may have various shapes.

The display device 1 may be a foldable device. The display device 1 maybe folded or unfolded. Here, ‘folded’ may include ‘bent.’ Specifically,the display device 1 may be bent so that a part overlaps another part oris inclined to another part, or the whole of the display device 1 may bespread flat. In some exemplary embodiments, the display device 1 may befolded so that an angle between a part and another part of the displaydevice 1 is greater than about 0 degrees and less than about 180 degreesor may be unfolded so that the angle between the part and the anotherpart of the display device 1 is about 180 degrees.

The display device 1 includes a display module DM, a first support inthe form a first support member 10, a second support in the form ofsecond support member 20, a cover in the form of cover member 30, afirst hinge in the form of first hinge member 40, and a second hinge inthe form of second hinge member 50.

The display module DM may have a generally rectangular shape that islong in the first direction X in plan view. The display module DM may bedisposed over the first support member 10 and the second support member20 to be described below. Each corner of the display module DM adjacentto the cover member 30 to be described below may be recessed in agenerally ‘L’ shape.

The display module DM has flexibility. The display module DM may befolded or unfolded along a first axis AX1 of the second direction Y asthe first support member 10 and the second support member 20 to bedescribed below are folded or unfolded. The detailed folding orunfolding operation of the display device 1 will be described below withreference to FIGS. 2 and 3 .

The display module DM may include a folding area FA, a first non-foldingarea NFA1, and a second non-folding area NFA2. The folding area FA isthe area that is folded or unfolded as the first support member 10 andthe second support member 20 to be described below are folded orunfolded. The first non-folding area NFA1 and the second non-foldingarea NFA2 may be areas that are neither folded nor unfolded. The foldingarea FA may be folded to have a predetermined radius of curvature withrespect to the first axis AX1 to be described below.

The first non-folding area NFA1 and the second non-folding area NFA2 maybe arranged in the first direction X, and the folding area FA may bedisposed between the first non-folding area NFA1 and the secondnon-folding area NFA2. The folding area FA, the first non-folding areaNFA1, and the second non-folding area NFA2 may be generally rectangularin plan view. The first non-folding area NFA1 and the second non-foldingarea NFA2 may be substantially flat in some exemplary embodiments andlarger in size than the folding area FA. The folding area FA may have agenerally rectangular shape that is long in the second direction Y inplan view.

In some exemplary embodiments, the display module DM includes onefolding area FA and two non-folding areas NFA1 and NFA2, but the numberof folding areas FA and the number of non-folding areas NFA1 and NFA2are not limited thereto.

The first support member 10, the second support member 20, and the covermember 30 may be sequentially arranged in the first direction X in planview. The first support member 10, the second support member 20, and thecover member 30 may be substantially rectangular in plan view. As willbe described below, the first support member 10, the second supportmember 20, and the cover member 30 may have different shapes. The firstsupport member 10, the second support member 20, and the cover member 30may have substantially the same size. In some exemplary embodiments, thefirst support member 10, the second support member 20, and/or the covermember 30 may have different sizes. For example, the size of the covermember 30 may be equal to or smaller than the size of the first supportmember 10 and/or the second support member 20. In detail, the firstsupport member 10, the second support member 20 and/or the cover member30 may have the same width in the second direction Y but may havedifferent widths in the first direction X.

The first support member 10 and the second support member 20 aredisposed separately from each other on a lower surface of the displaymodule DM. The first support member 10 and the second support member 20may be disposed substantially symmetrically with respect to the foldingarea FA of the display module DM or the first axis AX1. In detail, thefirst support member 10 may be disposed at the first non-folding areaNFA1 of the display module DM, and the second support member 20 may bedisposed at the second non-folding area NFA2 of the display module DM.

The first hinge member 40 connects a side 52 of the first support member10 and a side 62 of the second support member 20. The first hinge member40 defines the first axis AX1. The first support member 10 and thesecond support member 20 may be connected by the first hinge member 40such that they can rotate around the first axis AX1. The first axis AX1may include at least one rotation axis or folding axis. The first axisAX1 may be a physical axis disposed in the first hinge member 40 or animaginary axis disposed outside the first hinge member 40. The firsthinge member 40 may extend in the second direction Y between the firstsupport member 10 and the second support member 20. In some exemplaryembodiments, the first hinge member 40 may include a stretchable hingethat is compressed or stretched according to folding or unfolding of thedisplay device 1. In some exemplary embodiments, the first hinge member40 may include a mechanical hinge that includes at least one shaft andat least one rotating member rotating around the shaft, as described forthe second hinge member 50, as described below. Alternatively, the firsthinge member 40 may have a different hinge structure from the secondhinge member 50. The first hinge member 40 may include a friction hingethat can maintain an angle between the first support member 10 and thesecond support member 20.

The second hinge member 50 connects the other side 64 of the secondsupport member 20 and a side of the cover member 30. The second hingemember 50 defines a second axis AX2. The second support member 20 andthe cover member 30 may be connected by the second hinge member 50 suchthat they can rotate around the second axis AX2. The second axis AX2 mayinclude at least one rotation axis. In some exemplary embodiments, thesecond hinge member 50 may include a mechanical hinge. The second hingemember 50 may include a friction hinge that can maintain an anglebetween the second support member 20 and the cover member 30. Thecoupling relationship between the second hinge member 50 and each of thesecond support member 20 and the cover member 30 will be described indetail below with reference to FIGS. 6 through 8 .

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3 , the display device 1 may have anunfolded position and one or more folded positions. The folded positionsmay include the first folded position and the second folded position.Referring to FIG. 1 , the unfolded position may be a position in whichthe first support member 10, the second support member 20, and the covermember 30 are substantially extended and flat to lie side by side insubstantially the same plane. For example, an angle between the firstsupport member 10 and the second support member 20 and an angle betweenthe second support member 20 and the cover member 30 may each be about180 degrees.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the first folded position may be a position inwhich the cover member 30 overlaps the second support member 20 in thethickness direction. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the cover member 30may rotate around the second axis AX2 in a counterclockwise direction tooverlap the second support member 20 in the thickness direction. Here,the angle between the second support member 20 and the cover member 30may be about 0 or about 360 degrees.

In the first folded position, the cover member 30 may cover a part of afront surface of the display module DM. In detail, the cover member 30may cover a part of the front surface of the display module DM disposedin the second non-folding area NFA2 of the display module DM.

The first folded position may include a position in which the firstsupport member 10 is folded or bent to form a predetermined angle withthe second support member 20. Accordingly, the display module DMdisposed on the first support member 10 and the second support member 20may also be folded or bent to have the predetermined angle. For example,the predetermined angle may be greater than about 0 degrees and lessthan about 180 degrees. For another example, the predetermined angle maybe greater than about 90 degrees and less than about 150 degrees.

In the first folded position, the cover member 30 may protect the secondnon-folding area NFA2 of the display module DM. For example, when animage of a keyboard is displayed on the second non-folding area NFA2 ofthe display module DM, repetitive impact may be applied to this area bya user's touch input. Here, the cover member 30 may cover a part of thedisplay module DM to protect the display module DM.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the second folded position may be a position inwhich the first support member 10, the second support member 20, and thecover member 30 overlap in the thickness direction. Referring to FIGS. 2and 3 , the first support member 10 may rotate around the first axis AX1in a clockwise direction to overlap the second support member 20 and thecover member 30 in the thickness direction. Here, the angle between thesecond support member 20 and the cover member 30 and the angle betweenthe first support member 10 and the second support member 20 may beabout 0 or about 360 degrees.

As the first support member 10 and the second support member 20 overlapin the thickness direction, the display module DM may be in-folded sothat a part and another part of the front surface of the display moduleDM face each other. In the second folded position, the cover member 30may be disposed between a part of the front surface of the displaymodule DM disposed in the first non-folding area NFA1 of the displaymodule DM and another part of the front surface of the display module DMdisposed in the second non-folding area NFA2. In some exemplaryembodiments, in the second folded position, the cover member 30 maycontact a part of the front surface disposed in the second non-foldingarea NFA2 of the display module DM and another part of the front surfacedisposed in the first non-folding area NFA1. In some exemplaryembodiments, in the second folded position, the cover member 30 may bespaced apart from a part of the front surface disposed in the firstnon-folding area NFA1 of the display module DM. The display module DMwill now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 .

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a displaymodule taken along line A-A′ of FIG. 1 . FIG. 5 is a cross-sectionalview of an exemplary embodiment of a display panel of FIG. 4 .

Referring to FIG. 4 , the display module DM may include the displaypanel 100, a front-stack structure 200, and a back-stack structure 300.The display module DM may include the display panel 100 with thefront-stack structure 200 disposed on an upper surface 92 of the displaypanel 100, and the back-stack structure 300 disposed on a lower surface94 the display panel 100. The display panel 100 may also have an end 96.As described herein, ‘front’ may be a direction in which the displaypanel 100 displays a screen, and ‘back’ may be a direction opposite tofront.

The display panel 100 is a panel that displays a screen or an image.Examples of the display panel 100 may include self-luminous displaypanels such as organic light emitting display panels, inorganicelectroluminescent (EL) display panels, quantum dot light emittingdisplay (QED) panels, micro-light emitting diode (LED) display panels,nano-LED display panels, plasma display panels (PDPs), field emissiondisplay (FED) panels and cathode ray tube (CRT) display panels as wellas light receiving display panels such as liquid crystal display (LCD)panels and electrophoretic display (EPD) panels. An organic lightemitting display panel will hereinafter be described as an example ofthe display panel 100, and the organic light emitting display panelapplied to some exemplary embodiments will be simply abbreviated to thedisplay panel 100 unless special distinction is required. However, theexemplary embodiments are not limited to the organic light emittingdisplay panel, and other display panels listed above or known in the artare also applicable.

The display panel 100 may further include a touch member. The touchmember may be provided as a panel or film separate from the displaypanel 100 and attached onto the display panel 100. However, the touchmember may also be provided in the form of a touch layer inside thedisplay panel 100. In the following exemplary embodiment, a case wherethe touch member is provided and included in the display panel 100 willbe described, but the exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 , the display panel 100 may include asubstrate SUB, a circuit driving layer DRL disposed on the substrateSUB, a light emitting layer EML disposed on the circuit driving layerDRL, an encapsulating layer ENL disposed on the light emitting layerEML, and a touch layer TSL disposed on the encapsulating layer ENL.

The substrate SUB may be a flexible substrate including a flexiblepolymer material such as a polyimide. Accordingly, the display panel 100can be generally curved, bent, folded, or rolled. In some exemplaryembodiments, the substrate SUB may include a plurality of sub-substratesoverlapping each other in the thickness direction with a barrier layerinterposed between them. In this case, each sub-substrate may be aflexible substrate.

The circuit driving layer DRL may be disposed on the substrate SUB. Thecircuit driving layer DRL may include a circuit for driving the lightemitting layer EML of each pixel. The circuit driving layer DRL mayinclude a plurality of thin-film transistors.

The light emitting layer EML may be disposed on the circuit drivinglayer DRL. The light emitting layer EML may include an organic lightemitting layer. The light emitting layer EML may emit light of variousluminance levels according to a driving signal received from the circuitdriving layer DRL.

The encapsulating layer ENL may be disposed on the light emitting layerEML. The encapsulating layer ENL may include an inorganic layer or alaminate of an inorganic layer and an organic layer.

The touch layer TSL may be disposed on the encapsulating layer ENL. Thetouch layer TSL is a layer for recognizing a touch input and mayfunction as the touch member. The touch layer TSL may include aplurality of sensing regions and sensing electrodes.

Referring again to FIG. 4 , the front-stack structure 200 is disposed onthe upper surface 92 of the display panel 100. The front-stack structure200 may include a polarizing member 230, a cover window 220, and a coverwindow protective layer 210 stacked sequentially in the forwarddirection from the display panel 100.

The polarizing member 230 polarizes light that passes therethrough. Thepolarizing member 230 may reduce reflection of external light. In someexemplary embodiments, the polarizing member 230 may be a polarizingfilm. The polarizing film may include a polarizing layer and protectivesubstrates sandwiching the polarizing layer from above and under thepolarizing layer. The polarizing layer may include a polyvinyl alcoholfilm. The polarizing layer may be stretched in one direction. Thestretching direction of the polarizing layer may be an absorption axis,and a direction generally perpendicular to the stretching direction maybe a transmission axis. The protective substrates may be disposed on asurface and the other surface of the polarizing layer, respectively. Theprotective substrates may be made of, but not limited to, a celluloseresin, such as a triacetyl cellulose, or a polyester resin.

The cover window 220 may be disposed in front of the polarizing member230. The cover window 220 protects the display panel 100. The coverwindow 220 may be made of a transparent material. The cover window 220may be made of, e.g., a glass or a plastic. When the cover window 220includes a glass, the glass may be an ultra-thin glass (UTG) or athin-film glass. Because the UTG or the thin-film glass has flexibleproperties, it can be curved, bent, folded, or rolled. The glass mayhave a thickness of, e.g., about 10 to about 300 μm, is specifically,about 30 to about 80 μm, or about 50 μm. The glass of the cover window220 may include a soda lime glass, an alkali aluminosilicate glass, aborosilicate glass, or a lithium aluminosilicate glass. The glass of thecover window 220 may include chemically or thermally tempered glass tohave strong strength. The chemical tempering may be achieved through anion exchange process performed in alkali salts. The ion exchange processmay be performed two or more times.

When the cover window 220 includes a plastic, it may better exhibitflexible properties such as folding. Examples of the plastic applicableto the cover window 220 may include, but are not limited to, apolyimide, a polyacrylate, a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), apolycarbonate (PC), a polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), a polyvinylidenechloride, a polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), a polystyrene, an ethylenevinylalcohol copolymer, a polyethersulphone (PES), a polyetherimide(PEI), a polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), a polyallylate, a triacetylcellulose (TAC), and a cellulose acetate propionate (CAP). The plasticcover window 220 may include one or more of the plastic materials listedabove.

The cover window protective layer 210 may be disposed in front of thecover window 220. The cover window protective layer 210 may perform atleast one of shatter prevention, shock absorption, dent prevention,fingerprint prevention, and anti-glare functions for the cover window220. The cover window protective layer 210 may include a transparentpolymer film. The transparent polymer film may include at least one of apolyethylene terephthalate (PET), a polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), apolyethersulfone (PES), a polyimide (PI), a polyacrylate (PAR), apolycarbonate (PC), a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and a cycloolefincopolymer (COC).

The front-stack structure 200 may include front bonding members 251through 253 which bond adjacent stacked members together. For example, afirst bonding member 251 may be disposed between the cover window 220and the cover window protective layer 210 to bond them together, asecond bonding member 252 may be disposed between the cover window 220and the polarizing member 230 to bond them together, and a third bondingmember 253 may be disposed between the polarizing member 230 and thedisplay panel 100 to bond them together. That is, the front bondingmembers 251 through 253 are members that bond layers to a surface of thedisplay panel 100. The first bonding member 251 may be a protectivelayer bonding member for bonding the cover window protective layer 210,the second bonding member 252 may be a window bonding member for bondingthe cover window 220, and the third bonding member 253 may be apolarizer bonding member for bonding the polarizing member 230. Thefront bonding members 251 through 253 may all be optically transparent.

The back-stack structure 300 is disposed on the lower surface 94 of thedisplay panel 100. The back-stack structure 300 may include a polymerfilm layer 310 and a heat dissipation member 320 stacked sequentially inthe backward direction from the display panel 100.

The polymer film layer 310 may include a polymer film. The polymer filmlayer 310 may include, for example, a polyimide (PI), a polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), a polycarbonate (PC), a polyethylene (PE), apolypropylene (PP), a polysulfone (PSF), a polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA), a triacetyl cellulose (TAC), or a cyclo olefin polymer (COP).The polymer film layer 310 may include a functional layer on at leastone surface. The functional layer may include, for example, a lightabsorbing layer. The light absorbing layer may include a light absorbingmaterial such as a black pigment or a dye. The light absorbing layer maybe black ink and formed on the polymer film by coating or printing.

The heat dissipation member 320 may be disposed behind the polymer filmlayer 310. The heat dissipation member 320 dissipates heat generatedfrom the display panel 100 or other components of the display device 1.The heat dissipation member 320 may be a heat dissipation sheetincluding a graphite or carbon nanotubes. In some exemplary embodiments,the heat dissipation member 320 may be divided by the first axis AX1 asillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 to facilitate folding of the display device1. In some exemplary embodiments, the heat dissipation member 320 mayremain undivided.

The back-stack structure 300 may include back bonding members 351 and352 which bond adjacent stacked members together. For example, a fourthbonding member 351 may be disposed between the display panel 100 and thepolymer film layer 310 to bond them together, and a fifth bonding member352 may be disposed between the polymer film layer 310 and the heatdissipation member 320 to bond them together. In some exemplaryembodiments, the back-stack structure 300 may further include a buffermember. The buffer member may be disposed, for example, between thepolymer film layer 310 and the heat dissipation member 320. The couplingrelationship between the second support member 20 and the cover member30 will now be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 .

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of asecond hinge member of the display device of FIG. 1 FIGS. 7 and 8 areside views of an exemplary embodiment of part ‘B’ of FIG. 6 .

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3 and 6 through 8 , as described above, thesecond support member 20 and the cover member 30 may be connected by thesecond hinge member 50 such that they can rotate around the second axisAX2. In some exemplary embodiments, the cover member 30 may benon-removably coupled to the second hinge member 50. In some exemplaryembodiments, the cover member 30 may be detachably coupled to the secondhinge member 50.

Referring to FIGS. 6 through 8 , the second support member 20 mayinclude a pair of first recessed parts 21, a pair of second recessedparts 22, a step part 23, and a protruding part 24. The pair of firstrecessed parts 21 may be respectively disposed in both corner areas of aside on which the second hinge member 50 is disposed. The pair of firstrecessed parts 21 may be disposed such that both corner areas of a sideof the second support member 20 are recessed in a generally 1′ shape inplan view. The pair of first recessed parts 21 may respectivelyaccommodate a pair of couplers in the form of coupling members 42 of thesecond hinge member 50 to be described below.

The pair of second recessed parts 22 may be disposed in the pair offirst recessed parts 21. A second recessed part 22 may be formed byadditionally recessing, in the first direction X, a part of a surface ofa first recessed part 21 extending in the first direction X. The firstdirection X may be a left direction in FIG. 6 . Accordingly, the steppart 23 may be formed in each corner area of a side of the secondsupport member 20 by the first recessed part 21 and the second recessedpart 22. The pair of second recessed parts 22 may respectivelyaccommodate extension parts 422 of the pair of coupling members 42 to bedescribed below.

The protruding part 24 is disposed between the pair of first recessedparts 21 and/or the pair of second recessed parts 22. The protrudingpart 24 may be accommodated in a recess in the form of notch part 31 ofthe cover member 30, which will be described below, during rotation ofthe cover member 30. The protruding part 24 may be penetrated by a shaft41 of the second hinge member 50 to be described below. The cover member30 may include the notch part 31 and a pair of attachment parts 32. Thecover member 30 may further include a pair of connectors in the formadhesive members 33.

The notch part 31 is disposed on a side of the cover member 30 adjacentto the second axis AX2. The notch part 31 accommodates the protrudingpart 24 of the second support member 20 to prevent interference betweenthe second support member 20 and the cover member 30 during rotation ofthe cover member 30. The pair of attachment parts 32 are disposed withthe notch part 31 interposed between them. The pair of attachment parts32 may be respectively connected to the pair of coupling members 42 ofthe second hinge member 50 to be described below.

The pair of adhesive members 33 may be disposed at the pair ofattachment parts 32, respectively. The adhesive members 33 may bedisposed between the attachment parts 32 and the coupling members 42 tobe described below. The adhesive members 33 bond the attachment parts 32and the coupling members 42. In some exemplary embodiments, the covermember 30 may be strongly bonded to the coupling members 42 by theadhesive members 33. In some exemplary embodiments, the cover member 30may be detachably coupled to the second hinge member 50. For example,the cover member 30 may be coupled to the second hinge member 50 by amagnetic force. Specifically, the coupling members 42 to be describedbelow may include a metal, and the pair of adhesive members 33 mayinclude a magnet.

The second hinge member 50 may include the shaft 41 and the pair ofcoupling members 42. The shaft 41 has a generally rod shape that is longin the second direction Y and provides the second axis AX2. The shaft 41may penetrate the protruding part 24 of the second support member 20.The pair of coupling members 42 are disposed at both ends of the shaft41. The pair of coupling members 42 support and couple the shaft 41 andthe cover member 30 together. Each of the pair of coupling members 42may include a body part 421 and the extension part 422. The body part421 may have a generally cylindrical shape forming a hollow throughwhich the shaft 41 passes.

The extension part 422 protrudes from a side 424 of the body part 421.The extension part 422 may have a predetermined length to extendsubstantially parallel to an upper surface of the cover member 30. Theextension part 422 may provide the area for providing a sufficientcoupling force to couple the second support member 20 and the secondhinge member 50. As illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the extension part422 may be accommodated in each first recessed part 21 in the firstfolded position and accommodated in each second recessed part 22 in theunfolded position.

In some exemplary embodiments, the second hinge member 50 may bedisposed in the cover member 30. Specifically, the shaft 41 maypenetrate the cover member 30, and a part of the second support member20 may be coupled to the pair of coupling members 42 disposed at bothends of the shaft 41.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 6 through 8 , since the second hinge member 50is provided on a side of the second support member 20 by the firstrecessed parts 21, the second recessed parts 22 and the protruding part24, a non-display area, e.g., a bezel area of the display module DM canbe efficiently used.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3 and 6 through 8 , the cover member 30 maybe made of a transparent material. Accordingly, in the first foldedposition in which the cover member 30 overlaps the second support member20 and a part of the display module DM on the second support member 20in the thickness direction, an image displayed on the second non-foldingarea NFA2 may be visible through the cover member 30. The cover member30 may include a plurality of layers made of a light transmittingmaterial. The stacked structure of the cover member 30 will now bedescribed with reference to FIG. 9 .

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a covermember of the display device of FIG. 1 .

Referring to FIG. 9 , the cover member 30 may include a first substrateSUB1, a first buffer member BF1 on one surface SUR1 of the firstsubstrate SUB1 and a second buffer member BF2 on the other surface SUR2of the first substrate SUB1. The first buffer member BF1, the firstsubstrate SUB1, and the second buffer member BF2 may be made of atransparent material.

The first substrate SUB1 may be made of a transparent glass or a plasticmaterial having a predetermined strength. For example, the firstsubstrate SUB1 may be made of tempered glass such as an alumina silicateor a soda lime glass. For another example, the first substrate SUB1 maybe made of an industrial plastic material such as a polyamide, apolyacetal, a polycarbonate, a polyethylene terephthalate, or adenatured polyphenylene oxide.

The first buffer member BF1 and the second buffer member BF2 may be madeof a transparent elastic material. For example, the first buffer memberBF1 and the second buffer member BF2 may be made of a rubber or apolyurethane-based material. The first buffer member BF1 and the secondbuffer member BF2 may absorb external shock and prevent damage due tointerference between members.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of another exemplary embodiment of acover member of a display device constructed according to the principlesof the invention.

The cover member 30 a of FIG. 10 is different from the cover member 30of FIG. 9 in that it further includes a second substrate SUB2, a thirdsubstrate SUB3, a functional layer FL, and a transparent display layerTDPL. Referring to FIGS. 1 through 8 and 10 , the cover member 30 a mayhave substantially the same shape and arrangement as the cover member 30of FIGS. 1 through 8 .

The cover member 30 a may include a second buffer member BF2, a firstsubstrate SUB1 disposed on the second buffer member BF2, the transparentdisplay layer TDPL disposed on the first substrate SUB1, the secondsubstrate SUB2 disposed on the transparent display layer TDPL, thefunctional layer FL disposed on the second substrate SUB2, the thirdsubstrate SUB3 disposed on the functional layer FL, and a first buffermember BF1 disposed on the third substrate SUB3.

The second substrate SUB2 and the third substrate SUB3 may be made of atransparent glass or a plastic material having a predetermined strength.For example, the second substrate SUB2 and the third substrate SUB3 maybe made of a tempered glass such as an alumina silicate or a soda limeglass. For another example, the second substrate SUB2 and the thirdsubstrate SUB3 may be made of an industrial plastic material such as apolyamide, a polyacetal, a polycarbonate, a polyethylene terephthalate,or a denatured polyphenylene oxide.

The transparent display layer TDPL may be, for example, an organic lightemitting layer. In this case, the cover member 30 a may be divided intoa transmitting part TA which transmits incident light as it is, a lightemitting part LA which emits light, and a non-light emitting part NLAwhich does not emit light. The light emitting part LA may include afirst light emitting part LA_R, a second light emitting part LA_G, and athird light emitting part LA_B which emit red light, green light, andblue light, respectively.

The transmitting part TA, the light emitting part LA, and the non-lightemitting part NLA may be repeatedly disposed. In some exemplaryembodiments, the transmitting part TA, the light emitting part LA, andthe non-light emitting part NLA may be sequentially disposed in theorder of the non-light emitting part NLA, the first light emitting partLA_R, the non-light emitting part NLA, the second light emitting partLA_G, the non-light emitting part NLA, the third light emitting partLA_B, the non-light emitting part NLA, and the transmitting part TA.However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto, and thetransmitting part TA, the light emitting part LA, and the non-lightemitting part NLA may also be disposed in various ways. Because thetransmitting part TA is disposed between the light emitting parts LAdisposed repeatedly, it may have high light transmittance.

When the light emitting parts LA do not emit light, the backgroundbehind the cover member 30 may be visible through the transmitting partsTA. When the light emitting parts LA emit light, an image such as akeyboard image may be displayed on the cover member 30 by the lightemitting parts LA.

The transparent display layer TDPL may include a buffer layer 102disposed on the first substrate SUB1, a semiconductor layer 113 disposedon the buffer layer 102, a first insulating layer 103 disposed on thesemiconductor layer 113, a first conductive layer 123 disposed on thefirst insulating layer 103, a second insulating layer 104 disposed onthe first conductive layer 123, a second conductive layer 135 and 136disposed on the second insulating layer 104, a first via layer 151disposed on the second conductive layer 135 and 136, a third conductivelayer 141 disposed on the first layer 151, a bank layer 152 disposed onthe third conductive layer 141, an organic layer EL disposed betweenparts of the bank layer 152, a common electrode 160 disposed on theorganic layer EL, an adhesive layer 170 disposed on the common electrode160, and a black matrix BM disposed on the adhesive layer 170.

The functional layer FL may include a first sensing electrode layer SL1disposed on the second substrate SUB2, an inorganic insulating layer IOLdisposed on the first sensing electrode layer SL1, a second sensingelectrode layer SL2 disposed on the inorganic insulating layer IOL, andan organic layer OL disposed on the second sensing electrode layer SL2.The function layer FL may be a touch sensor for sensing a touch inputand/or a digitizer for receiving input from an external input devicesuch as a stylus.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, 6 and 10 , in some exemplaryembodiments, each adhesive member 33 may further include an electrodepad PAD electrically connected to the transparent display layer TDPLand/or the functional layer FL depicted in FIG. 15 , as discussed below.In addition, the second hinge member 50 may further include a circuitthat electrically connects a control device such as a computer mountedon the first support member 10 or the second support member 20 to theelectrode pad PAD. Accordingly, in the second folded position, thedisplay device 1 may display a keyboard image on the cover member 30 a,may receive a user's touch input to the keyboard image, and may be usedas a device such as a laptop. In some exemplary embodiments, any one ofthe transparent display layer TDPL and the functional layer FL may beomitted.

The cover member 30 a of FIG. 10 is substantially the same or similar tothe cover member 30 of FIGS. 1 through 9 except that it further includesthe second substrate SUB2, the third substrate SUB3, the functionallayer FL and the transparent display layer TDPL, and thus somedescription thereof will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of adisplay device constructed according to the principles of the invention.in an unfolded position FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the displaydevice of FIG. 11 in a first folded position. FIG. 13 is a perspectiveview of the display device of FIG. 11 in a second folded position. FIG.14 is a cross-sectional view of the display device of FIG. 13 . FIG. 15is an enlarged perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of part ‘C’of FIG. 12 .

The display device la of FIG. 11 is different from the display device 1of FIGS. 1 through 9 in the shape of a cover member 30 a and thecoupling relationship of the cover member 30 a with other members.Referring to FIGS. 11 through 15 , the display device la includes afirst support member 10, a second support member 20, the cover member 30a, and a first hinge member 40. The second support member 20 may nothave first recessed parts 21, second recessed parts 22, and a protrudingpart 24 on a side, unlike the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 9. The cover member 30 a may be detachably coupled to a display module DMand/or the second support member 20.

The cover member 30 a may have a generally U-shaped cross section. Thecover member 30 a may have one side in the first direction X open. Anend 66 of the display module DM and/or an end 66 of the second supportmember 20 may be inserted into an open side 78 of the cover member 30 a.Accordingly, the cover member 30 a may surround a part of a frontsurface of the display module DM, a side surface of a side of thedisplay module DM, a side surface of a side of the second support member20, and a lower surface 68 of the second support member 20. In someexemplary embodiments, both sides of the cover member 30 a in the seconddirection Y may also be open.

Referring to FIGS. 11 through 13 , the display device la may have afirst position in which the cover member 30 a is separated from othermembers and a second position in which an end of the second supportmember 20 and an end of the display module DM are inserted into thecover member 30 a.

The display device la may have the unfolded position, the first foldedposition and the second folded position. Here, the display device la maybe in the second position. For example, the first support member 10 maybe folded to the first folded position in which it forms an angle ofgreater than about 0 degrees and less than about 180 degrees with thesecond support member 20 in the second position. For another example,the first support member 10 may be folded to the second folded positionin which it forms an angle of about 0 or about 360 degrees with thesecond support member 20 in the second position. In this case, the firstsupport member 10 may overlap the second support member 20 in thethickness direction to be substantially parallel to the second supportmember 20.

Referring to FIG. 14 , the cover member 30 a may include a firstsubstantially flat part 31 a, a second substantially flat part 32 a, anda connecting part 33 a. In the second position, the first substantiallyflat part 31 a may be disposed on an upper surface of the second supportmember 20 and/or a part of the front surface of the display module DMdisposed in a second non-folding area NFA2. The second substantiallyflat part 32 a may be disposed on the lower surface 68 of the secondsupport member 20. The connecting part 33 a may connect a side of thefirst substantially flat part 31 a and a side of the secondsubstantially flat part 32 a. The connecting part 33 a may be bent tohave a predetermined curvature. The connecting part 33 a may be bent tohave, for example, a generally ‘C’-shaped cross section.

In the second position, the first substantially flat part 31 a, a partof the display module DM disposed in the second non-folding area NFA2,the second support member 20 and the second substantially flat part 32 amay overlap in the thickness direction. In the second folded position,the first substantially flat part 31 a, a part of the display module DMdisposed in the second non-folding area NFA2, the second support member20, the second substantially flat part 32 a, another part of the displaymodule DM disposed in a first non-folding area NFA1, and the firstsupport member 10 may overlap in the thickness direction.

In the second position, the second substantially flat part 32 a may bespaced apart from the lower surface 68 of the second support member 20by a predetermined distance. In some exemplary embodiments, the secondsubstantially flat part 32 a may be in close contact with the lowersurface 68 of the second support member 20. The cover member 30 a may bemade of a transparent glass or a plastic material having a predeterminedstrength. For example, the cover member 30 a may be made of temperedglass such as an alumina silicate or a soda lime glass. For anotherexample, the cover member 30 a may be made of an industrial plasticmaterial such as a polyamide, a polyacetal, a polycarbonate, apolyethylene terephthalate, or a denatured polyphenylene oxide.

The cover member 30 a may further include a third buffer member BF3disposed on a surface 31 b of the first substantially flat part 31 a anda fourth buffer member BF4 disposed on the other surface 31 c of thefirst substantially flat part 31 a. The third buffer member BF3 and thefourth member BF4 may be made of a transparent elastic material. Forexample, the third buffer member BF3 and the fourth buffer member BF4may be made of a rubber or a polyurethane-based material. The thirdbuffer member BF3 and the fourth buffer member BF4 may absorb externalshock and prevent damage due to interference between members.

In some exemplary embodiments, at least one of the first substantiallyflat part 31 a and the second substantially flat part 32 a may includeat least one of the first substrate SUB1, the transparent display layerTDPL, the second substrate SUB2, the functional layer FL, and the thirdsubstrate SUB3 of FIG. 10 , as discussed above.

Referring to FIG. 15 , the cover member 30 a may further includekeyholes AK and electrode pads PAD. The keyholes AK may be disposed incorner areas of the first substantially flat part 31 a and/or the secondsubstantially flat part 32 a. The keyholes AK may align the positions ofthe cover member 30 a and the second support member 20 in the secondposition. In some exemplary embodiments, a pair of keyholes AK may bedisposed in the corner areas of the first substantially flat part 31 a.In some exemplary embodiments, a pair of keyholes AK may be disposed inthe corner areas of the second substantially flat part 32 a. In someexemplary embodiments, the keyholes AK may be replaced with magnets.

The electrode pads PAD may be disposed in the corner areas of the firstsubstantially flat part 31 a and/or the second substantially flat part32 a. The electrode pads PAD may be electrically connected to thetransparent display layer TDPL and/or the functional layer FL, asdepicted in FIG. 10 , disposed in the first substantially flat part 31 aand/or the second substantially flat part 32 a. In some exemplaryembodiments, the electrode pads PAD may be disposed in the corner areasof the second substantially flat part 32 a. Therefore, the electrodepads PAD may not be visible when the display device la is viewed fromabove. In some exemplary embodiments, the electrode pads PAD may bedisposed in the corner areas of the first substantially flat part 31 a.

Because the display device la of FIG. 11 is substantially the same orsimilar to the display device 1 of FIGS. 1 through 9 except for theshape of the cover member 30 a and the coupling relationship of thecover member 30 a with other members, a repetitive description thereofwill be omitted to avoid redundancy.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a displaydevice constructed according to the principles of the invention. in anunfolded position. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the display deviceof FIG. 16 in a first folded position. FIG. 18 is a perspective view ofthe display device of FIG. 16 in a second folded position.

Because the display device 1 b of FIGS. 16-18 is substantially the sameor similar to the display device 1 of FIGS. 1 through 9 except that thecover member 30 b is coupled to the first support member 10, arepetitive description thereof will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

The display device 1 b of FIG. 16 is different from the display device 1of FIGS. 1 through 9 in that a cover member 30 b is coupled to a firstsupport member 10. The display device 1 b includes the first supportmember 10, a second support member 20, the cover member 30 b, a firsthinge member 40, and a second hinge member 50.

The first support member 10, the second support member 20, and the covermember 30 b are separated from each other. The first support member 10and the second support member 20 may be sequentially arranged in thefirst direction X, and a display panel may be disposed on the firstsupport member 10 and the second support member 20. The first hingemember 40 may connect the first support member 10 and the second supportmember 20 such that each of the first support member 10 and the secondsupport member 20 can rotate around a first axis AX1 of the seconddirection Y.

The cover member 30 b may be detachably coupled to the first supportmember 10. Particularly, the cover member 30 b may be detachably coupledto a side surface of the first support member 10, which extends in thefirst direction X, by the second hinge member 50. The second hingemember 50 may connect the first support member 10 and the cover member30 b such that each of the first support member 10 and the cover member30 b can rotate around a second axis AX2 of the first direction X. Insome exemplary embodiments, the second hinge member 50 may be disposedin the cover member 30 b.

The display device 1 b may have a first position in which the firstsupport member 10 and the cover member 30 b are separated from eachother and a second position in which the first support member 10 and thecover member 30 b are coupled to each other. The display device 1 b mayhave the unfolded position, the first folded position, and the secondfolded position. As depicted in FIG. 17 , the display device 1 b may bein the second position.

The first folded position may be a position in which the cover member 30b is folded to form a predetermined angle with the first support member10 with respect to the second axis AX2. For example, the predeterminedangle may be greater than about 0 degrees and less than about 180degrees. The first folded position may include a position in which thefirst support member 10 is folded to form a predetermined angle with thesecond support member 20. For example, the predetermined angle may begreater than about 90 degrees and less than about 180 degrees.

The second folded position may be a position in which the cover member30 b and the first support member 10 overlap in the thickness directionto be substantially parallel to each other. The second folded positionmay be a position in which the cover member 30 b and the first supportmember 10 may completely overlap. Here, an angle formed by the covermember 30 b and the first support member 10 may be about 0 degrees.

The second folded position may include a position in which the firstsupport member 10, the second support member 20, and the cover member 30b overlap in the thickness direction to be substantially parallel toeach other. In some exemplary embodiments, in the second foldedposition, the first support member 10, the cover member 30 b, and thesecond support member 20 may be sequentially disposed from the bottom tooverlap in the thickness direction.

The cover member 30 b may be made of a transparent glass or a plasticmaterial having a predetermined strength. For example, the cover member30 b may be made of tempered glass such as an alumina silicate or a sodalime glass. For another example, the cover member 30 b may be made of anindustrial plastic material such as a polyamide, a polyacetal, apolycarbonate, a polyethylene terephthalate, or a denaturedpolyphenylene oxide.

In some exemplary embodiments, referring to FIGS. 10 and 16 through 18 ,the cover member 30 b may include at least one of a first buffer memberBF1, a first substrate SUB1, a transparent display layer TDPL, a secondsubstrate SUB2, a functional layer FL, a third substrate SUB3, and asecond buffer member BF2. In some exemplary embodiments, the covermember 30 b may include a mechanical keyboard.

Foldable display devices constructed according to the variousembodiments of the invention provide for sufficient thinness tofacilitate folding but also protect the display module from externalimpact.

Although certain exemplary embodiments and implementations have beendescribed herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparentfrom this description. Accordingly, the inventive concepts are notlimited to such embodiments, but rather to the broader scope of theappended claims and various obvious modifications and equivalentarrangements as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in theart.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device comprising: a display panelhaving an upper surface to display an image and a lower surface; a firstsupport and a second support disposed on the lower surface of thedisplay panel; a first hinge connecting a side of the first support anda side of the second support and defining a first axis; a cover disposedon another side of the second support; and a second hinge connectinganother side of the second support and a side of the cover and defininga second axis substantially parallel to the first axis, wherein thecover comprises a transparent material and a recess disposed on the sideconnected to the second hinge member.
 2. The display device of claim 1,wherein the first and second hinges comprise first and second hingemembers, respectively, and the second hinge member comprises a shaftreceived in the second support member to define the second axis and apair of rotatable couplers supported at either end of the shaft.
 3. Thedisplay device of claim 2, wherein at least one of the pair of rotatablecouplers comprises coupling members or a joint and an extension formedintegrally with a side of the body part.
 4. The display device of claim3, wherein the second support member comprises a pair of first recessedparts disposed at both corners adjacent to the cover member, a secondrecessed part additionally recessed from a surface of each firstrecessed part, and a step part formed by each first recessed part andthe second recessed part.
 5. The display device of claim 4, wherein theextension comprises an extension part configured to rotate around thesecond axis to be received in the second recessed part.
 6. The displaydevice of claim 4, wherein the second support member comprises aprojection extending between the pair of first recessed parts, theprojection being accommodated in the recess of the cover member.
 7. Thedisplay device of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises a pair ofattachment parts disposed with the recess interposed therebetween. 8.The display device of claim 7, wherein the cover comprises a pair ofconnectors disposed at the pair of attachment parts, respectively. 9.The display device of claim 8, wherein at least one of the connectorscomprises one or more adhesive members or a magnet.
 10. The displaydevice of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises a cover member includinga first substrate, a first buffer layer disposed on a surface of thefirst substrate, and a second buffer layer disposed on another surfaceof the first substrate.
 11. The display device of claim 10, wherein thefirst buffer layer and the second buffer layer comprise apolyurethane-based material.
 12. The display device of claim 1, whereinthe display panel comprises a first non-folding area disposed on thefirst support, a second non-folding area disposed on the second supportand a folding area disposed on the first hinge, and the cover isrotatable around the second axis to overlap the second non-folding areain a thickness direction.
 13. A display device comprising: a displaypanel having an upper surface to display an image and a lower surface; afirst support and a second support disposed on the lower surface of thedisplay panel; a first hinge connecting a side of the first support anda side of the second support and defining a first axis; and a coverhaving a generally U-shaped cross section defining an opening to receivean end of the second support and an end of the display panel detachablyinsertable into the opening; wherein the cover comprises a firstsubstantially flat part disposed on the upper surface of the displaypanel, a second substantially flat part disposed on a lower surface ofthe second support, and an intermediate portion connecting the firstsubstantially flat part and the second substantially flat part.
 14. Thedisplay device of claim 13, wherein the first substantially flat partcomprises a pair of keyholes.
 15. The display device of claim 13,wherein the cover comprises a cover member including a transparentdisplay panel, and the second substantially flat part comprises anelectrode pad part electrically connected to the transparent displaypanel.
 16. The display device of claim 13, wherein a distance betweenthe first substantially flat part and the second substantially flat partin a thickness direction is greater than a thickness of the secondsupport.
 17. The display device of claim 13, further comprising: a firstbuffer disposed on a surface of the first substantially flat part facingthe upper surface of the display panel; and a second buffer disposed ona surface of the second substantially flat part facing the lower surfaceof the second support.
 18. A display device comprising: a display panelhaving an upper surface to display an image and a lower surface; a firstsupport and a second support disposed on the lower surface of thedisplay panel; a first hinge connecting the first support and the secondsupport and defining a first axis; a cover disposed on a side of thefirst support; and a second hinge connecting the first support and thecover and defining a second axis intersecting the first axis.
 19. Thedisplay device of claim 18, wherein the cover is detachably coupled tothe first support.
 20. The display device of claim 18, wherein the covercomprises a cover member including a transparent display layer.